Wrackspurts
by booksandmusic19
Summary: Oneshot. Luna's just browsing in Flourish and Blotts when she hears the crash. Being Luna, she decides to help Draco clean up - and makes some interesting observations about the "ex-Death Eater". post-DH, sort of AU  pre-L/D


**I just saw Deathly Hallows Part 2 and my imagination kind of went wild. Not sure where this came from, but I feel like if there's anyone from that group who would marry Draco, it's Luna. I really tried to make this stream-of-consciousness and in-character. I loved going inside her head and hope you get as much enjoyment out of reading it as I did writing it. It was definitely inspired by J.K. Rowling's description of her room, with her "friends" wallpaper... Not quite sure where the title came from, but that's what you got. Any ideas on title changes, let me know! (Also, quick note on my other stories: I am working on them, unfortunately, I don't know when I'll get more chapters out)**

**Spoilers: Up to Deathly Hallows, to be safe (nothing explicit, I think)**

**Disclaimer. I am not J. K. Rowling. Therefore, I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Wrackspurts**

She's just returned from an (unfortunately fruitless) expedition to find the Snorkack, and is walking aimlessly down Diagon Alley when she remembers Mr. Ollivander's suggestion.

He'd mentioned it all those years ago in the dungeon, when she'd explained to him what exactly the Crumple Horned Snorkack was. He'd suggested that she look in a history of mythical creatures, rather than a history of "real" ones. How had she not remembered it before? She shrugs it off. Must have been the Wrackspurts.

Luna walks into Flourish and Blotts and breathes deep, enjoying the fresh smell of paper as she walks to the bookshelf labeled "ANIMALS".

Unfortunately, they don't seem to have the book in stock, and she's just thinking maybe she'll Apparate to the smaller store in Hogsmeade when she hears a tremendous crash two bookshelves down.

She figures whoever it was needs help, and she walks toward the back of the store. The source of the crash is easy to locate: a pile of books that, at the moment, looks more like a small mountain.

Well, her mother always said that you could only eat a hippogriff one bite at a time.

She takes a few books from the pile and stacks them neatly against the wall. "Merlin's pants!" a voice curses from the other side of the pile.

It's familiar - perhaps Neville? No, it's too melodic. And besides, she doesn't think any of these books are about Meditteranean herbs - his current obsession. Nor is it Ron, because from experience she knows he'd be cursing much more.

Ah, well, no point in speculating when she can just walk around to the other side of the mess. The owner of the voice is sitting on the floor, trying to pull his foot out from under the pile. His blond hair would have been a giveaway, but she knows who it is by the deep green - almost black - of the cloak that he's wearing and the proud set of his shoulders even in such an undignified position.

"Hello, Draco," she says, smiling - because why wouldn't she? He's an old acquaintance, after all - and pulls out her wand.

His head spins round to face her. "Lovegood," he says, and she can see the surprise on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Isn't that obvious? He must have an even worse case of the Wrackspurts than she does. She'll have to suggest her father's tonic if the topic comes up. "I'm helping you clean up. I heard the crash."

Now, what spell to use? The Reducto spell? No, too powerful, and she doesn't think the clerk would be too happy if the books got damaged. Perhaps a simple Levitation Charm would be best. Swish-and-flick-"Wingardium Leviosa," she says.

The entire pile lifts itself precariously into the air, freeing Draco's foot. He pulls it free and stands up, well away from the levitating pile. "Are you sure that's -"

She soon realizes what he's worrying about, because the top books are sliding down the pile and the whole thing is becoming rather unbalanced. Book after book after book fall off the pile, each causing three more to slip free. Best do something before there's another accident.

Too late - nearly all the books are falling now, dropping to the ground like - what was the Muggle phrase her father had used once? - like flies. She can only watch as the entire pile falls down to the ground; only now, instead of a pile, the books are spread across the floor.

The clerk comes running. "Is there - What have you done?" he demands, horrified. "Do you have any idea-"

"We'll take care of it," Draco assures him, and she remembers how he'd always been a gentleman at Hogwarts. Oh, not necessarily to her, but she'd seen how he offered to carry Pansy's bag, or hold doors open for Professor Babbling or Madam Hooch.

"I suppose that wasn't exactly helpful," she says once the clerk leaves, "but your foot is free now."

She looks up to see Draco staring bemusedly at her, and decides that he really needs to do something about those Wrackspurts. But right now, they need to clean up this mess. "I don't suppose you know any organization charms?" she asks.

He shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no. We'll have to do it without magic."

They start picking up books and stacking them in piles. Luna isn't sure how they were meant to be organized, but she has the faintest of feelings that perhaps they weren't meant to be stacked by color or size.

"What were you looking for?" she asks. Draco looks up from his pile. "What? Oh, just a book on cosmetic charms or potions."

It seems as though he was in the right place; the books have titles like _"Warts and When to Lose Them"_,_ "Witch's Hat: Warlock Magnet or Repeller?" _and_ "The Proper Use of Mirwood as a Tonic".__  
><em>  
>He probably wasn't looking for any of those, though. She puts them aside and kept looking. "Hey!" Draco says. "There was a pile of books right here, and now it's gone!"<p>

He looks rather agitated, and she guesses he's thinking whether or not he's gone mad. A side effect of Wrackspurts, it so happens, though usually Wrackspurt-induced insanity is quite temporary.

Sometimes, people were rather interesting when something out of the ordinary happened to them. She wonders for a moment what he would do if she told him about the Wrackspurts, but decides against it.

"Oh, don't worry," she says. "It's probably just a Rianlib. They like bookstores and libraries, you know, because it's nice and quiet. They'll help out, too, from time to time."

She remembers how the one in Hogwarts knew all the best books and where they were. He would even get them for her, so she wouldn't have to go looking all the time.

"They're quite helpful, you know," she says, looking around to see if the Rianlib was still there; it had unfortunately scurried away. "But they're shy. They don't like talking with people."

"I've never heard of them," he says. "But they seem nice. I think I might have scared the one in Hogwarts, because books seemed to launch themselves off the shelf at me for a week during second year."

She's beginning to regret not getting to know him at Hogwarts. He seems pretty friendly, at least outside the castle.

"If you don't mind me asking," she ventures. "What do you need the book for?"

She notices that he's suddenly not turning around to face her, instead continuing to stack books with his back to her. Interesting. A difficult subject.

"To hide the - the Mark," he says shortly. She wonders why he would want to do that. Everyone knew that if you had visual memories of mistakes you were less likely to make them again. In fact, she had a scar on her wrist from that one day in Potions when she'd spilled some Pepperup Potion on her hand and hadn't gone to the nurse because she was afraid of Professor Snape. But she doesn't say any of that. Instead, she simply asks, "Why?"

He hands her stack of books, and she puts it on top of her own. "I've just been promoted to head of the International Law Enforcement at the Ministry. How do you think some of them will react when they learn their new employer used to work for the Dark Lord?"

Old habits die hard, she realizes, when he said those last two words. She knows some people afraid to say Voldemort's name, even now, five years after the Battle of Hogwarts. And she realizes that it must have been terrifying, having Voldemort breathe down your neck every day. And then she realizes that people probably _will_ hold grudges, and it seems to make sense, that he wants to cover up the Dark Mark.

She doesn't normally like to think of such negative things, but she thinks Draco needs someone to talk to right now.

She realizes that he's been waiting for an answer. "It shouldn't make a difference, but if you think it will -" she looks down at the book on top of the pile she's holding and nods at the title. "-I think this is what you were looking for."

She hands him _"Curses, Hexes, and Charms Gone Wrong: How to Conceal the Worst"_.

He takes it gratefully. "Yes, thank you. This sounds good."

They look around for a moment, awkward now that their common goal has been accomplished. "Does it hurt?" she asks, surprising even herself with this outburst. He rubs it absentmindedly. "A little," he admits. "But it's nothing I can't stand."

Somehow, she's even more curious than before. "Would you – let me see it?" she asks. He looks around the bookstore, but apparently decides it's safe because he rolls up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal an angry scar, faded slightly over the years.

"Thank you," she says quietly. "I'd better be going, I have someone I'm to meet with."

It's not an excuse, which is good. She doesn't like excuses very much. Harry and Ron and Hermione and Ginny and Neville and maybe Hannah and she are all meeting at the Leaky Cauldron to "catch up", as Hermione puts it.

As she's walking away, though, she thinks about he's maybe not had a lot of friends. Kind of like her. She's only really ever seen him talking with Crabbe and Goyle, and now that Crabbe's a Beater for the Cannons, and Goyle's gone, she wonders who he talks to.

Maybe even Draco Malfoy needs friends. She remembers how she felt after her fourth year at Hogwarts, when she finally felt like she had friends. Maybe someone - she - can do that for Draco.

She thinks that Ginny and Harry will go along with it, and maybe even Neville or Hermione.

So she walks back in the store, up to the register where he's paying for the book, and stands next to him. She slips her hand into his and pulls him out the door when he's finished. "Lovegood, what are you doing?" he asks.

She remembers the Wrackspurts and makes a mental note to ask her father for some tonic to give Draco. But no use thinking about it now.

"It's Luna," she informs him. "And I'm taking you to dinner. Because I think that everyone needs friends."

She'll have to do something about those pesky Wrackspurts, though.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review if you liked it! <strong>

**(Also, quick note on my other stories: I am working on them, unfortunately, I don't know when I'll get more chapters out)**


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